Night Flight
by cmwestbroo
Summary: A short story of Harry and Ginny taking a quick Firebolt ride.


Harry was laying down on Ron's bed looking up at the peeling plaster ceiling. It was just getting dark. Ron had to run an errand with Mr. Weasley and for some reason Harry wasn't allowed along. He started to drift to sleep when the ghoul in the attic started throwing around old pipes and hollering at the top of his lungs. He sighed. As exciting as it was to be in a proper wizarding house Harry couldn't help but feel bored by himself. He rolled off the side of the bed and grabbed his Firebolt from the closet.  
  
'Knock,knock'  
  
Harry waited impatiently for Fred and George to answer.  
  
"What's up Harry?"  
  
One of the twins asked. (Harry didn't know which was which.)  
  
"Want to play a little Quidditch?"  
  
Harry asked hopefully. Quidditch was about the best sport in the world as far as Harry was concerned.  
  
"Nah, not right now."  
  
"Yeah, not right now, we're in the middle of developing some Big-Butt Brownies. We've almost got it."  
  
"Yeah, almost!"  
  
The twin moved sideways and Harry ogled at the twin sitting on the floor with a butt as big as one of Hagrid's Halloween pumpkins!  
  
"Wow! How do you reverse the effect?"  
  
Harry asked as he stood trying to get a better look.  
  
"Er.that's the almost part!"  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Harry walked glumly outside practically dragging his Firebolt. He kicked a dimwitted gnome out of the way. As he got to the paddock behind the Burrow he looked surprised to see Ginny Weasley already there.  
  
Ginny was on an old Shooting Star broomstick that belonged to Ron. She was trying gamely to make it go higher up. But the broom decided it was comfortable about fifteen feet off the ground, and no more. Harry stifled a laugh as she pulled with both arms to make it go up. She grunted and groaned and then finally gave up and sulked in midair muttering about the sorry broom.  
  
Harry watched as the wind picked up and swirled her hair around her face. She brushed it to one side carelessly and gazed longingly upwards into the night sky. He hesitated. Ginny always seemed so flustered around him, he wasn't sure he wanted to bug her. After all, she was there first. She finally looked down at the ground and pushed the broom down. The broom decided to stay where it was. Ginny looked surprised and pushed harder. She looked down at the ground again and swallowed hard.  
  
Harry realized the broom was stuck. He mounted his Firebolt and glided effortlessly up beside her. Ginny looked so surprised that she almost fell off her broomstick. Harry pretended not to notice.  
  
"Stuck?"  
  
The moment he said it, he felt stupid. It was obviously stuck.  
  
Ginny nodded and mumbled.  
  
"Yeah. It won't go down... or up. Stupid broom!"  
  
She looked at Harry and shrugged.  
  
Harry moved closer until they were just barely touching. He moved back a little on his broom. He held out his hand to help her onto his broom in front of him.  
  
"C.mon. I'll give you a lift down."  
  
Ginny turned scarlet from the neck up. She hesitated and then took his hand and carefully looped her left leg onto his broom and then shifted off the hovering broom and onto Harry's.  
  
"Oh! Your broom is way more comfortable than Ron's."  
  
She commented as she ran her hand up and down the sleek broom handle.  
  
Harry was too busy batting her hair out of his face as the wind picked up, to answer her. He wasn't sure what to say anyway.  
  
"Oh Harry I'm sorry!"  
  
Ginny realized her hair was in Harry's face so she turned halfway around to apologize as she held her hair back from her face. Harry stared at her. This was the closest he had ever been to her. Or any girl for that matter. He suddenly became painfully aware of every movement she made as she shifted her weight to get more comfortable. He noticed her eyes were a soft coppery brown with long thick lashes. He blinked and came back to earth.  
  
Ginny turned back around, holding on to the broom with one hand and her hair with the other. Harry hesitated and then reached gingerly around her waist trying not to touch her as he pushed the broomstick forward and down. Ginny's hand slipped off the broom and Harry instinctively grabbed her with his right arm as she slipped a little to the right. Neither spoke as Harry tightened his grip on the broom and brought his arms closer to her to provide some support. He swallowed as the ends of her hair fluttered underneath her hand and flicked close to his nose.  
  
"Mmmm...honeysuckle."  
  
Harry said it without thinking. He had also pulled back enough on the broom so that they gliding along at about ten feet. He didn't notice that he had done this. Ginny half turned again to look at him.  
  
"Honeysuckle?"  
  
Harry felt his checks getting hot, and he stammered trying to explain.  
  
"Your hair...it smells like ...honeysuckle..it smells nice.really nice.."  
  
"Oh! Thank you.."  
  
Neither one seemed to know what to say to the other. And neither one mentioned that instead of heading down they were drifting lazily along the meadow.  
  
Harry leaned forward until his face was above her shoulder and he was pressed against her back. Ginny let go of her hair. There was no use holding it now, his face was so close to hers her hair couldn't slap him in the face.  
  
"Hang on Ginny, and we'll go for a real ride!"  
  
Ginny squealed and giggled as Harry turned the broom upwards and shot off light a bullet into the sky.  
  
"I've never been this high before Harry!"  
  
Harry wrapped one arm around Ginny's slender waist and guided his broom with the other. Ginny laughed and pointed at some of the houses below.  
  
"Look! There's old Polleekin Wintry's house!"  
  
"Ohhh look! Look at the beautiful lake."  
  
Harry grinned at the way Ginny ohhed and ahhed over all the pretty sights. He looked at her face and noticed how pretty she was when she wasn't blushing or keeping her head down. She had lovely high cheekbones, pretty eyes and soft pouting, pink lips. He kept glancing sideway as he tried to keep up with all the sights she was pointing out.  
  
"Oh no, Harry we can't go any further. That's the muggle side of town, we'll be seen.!"  
  
So reluctantly Harry let go of her waist and used both hands to turn the broom around and head back to the paddock on the Weasley property. With a soft thump, Ginny dismounted the broom. Harry followed suit.  
  
Ginny stood there smiling at him.  
  
"Thanks for the ride Harry! I've never ridden on a Firebolt before. It was really fun."  
  
She blushed and ventured,  
  
"You're a superb flier. Much better than me."  
  
Harry stood opposite her noticing that he was half a head taller than her. Her upturned face was catching the moonlight and her skin was positively radiant. He was a little disappointed and relieved that she hadn't noticed his arm had been around for most of the ride.  
  
"Your welcome..and thanks."  
  
He walked over to her broomstick, still hovering but now only about five feet from the ground, and gave it a good yank. It seemed pretty stuck.  
  
"Oh don't worry about it Harry, it'll get tired in a little while."  
  
"See you."  
  
Harry turned and walked back toward the house.  
  
He didn't see Ginny reach up and yank the broom right out of the air. She turned to the bushes and whispered.  
  
"Thanks Dobby! I owe you a favor now!"  
  
"'Tis no problem miss. Dobby watches and sees you watching Harry Potter. Dobby likes to help!"  
  
With a booming crack like lighting, Dobby vanished and Ginny hummed herself all the way to the house. 


End file.
